Mom doesn’t read anything posted up, say on a wall, mirror, back of door, etc. Anyone have any insight on why and how to overcome this?

Sorry, like said, after a point the notes don't mean a thing. My Mom read a book. I would find the book mark near the end and next day it was at the beginning. She could read a sign but not really know what it meant.

You may be expecting too much of her. Her mind doesn't work that way anymore. If something needs to be done, then someone is going to have to do it for her.

Issue, sure. Condition? The condition of failing to read notices, particularly ones you pass by several times a day and no longer register? - that's the human condition, surely.

Goodness, think of all the things we should read but don't. Off the top of my head: fire escape protocols. The Health & Safety posters that by law must be put up in every place of work. "Do Not Exceed The Stated Dose." Instructions to voters. Contracts. Cookie policies.

I am already losing count of the number of clients who've said "oh, I didn't know how to get in touch with you" (you meaning the service I work for). It takes all my will-power not to pick up the folder we leave in every home and point wordlessly to the front cover, on which is shown clear and full the name of our service, its telephone number in 48 font bold print, and our hours of operation (7:00 am to 10:00 pm).

If the notices and reminders you're leaving for your mother are about anything important? - then you will have to be more direct with your prompts. You can: call her on the phone at the time when she has to do something; ask a member of the AL's staff to prompt her to do whatever it is; go in to collect her or visit her in good time to help her prepare.

Advance notice tends not to be helpful to people with dementia anyway - the effort to remember, if made at all, is stressful for them and they do better with "now" prompts. For example: "it's time to get ready to go out." "We are going in the car to see the doctor." "Here we are, it's this building. Let's go inside."

I'm still in favour of big, bright, cheerful wall calendars that display anything of potential interest to the person, including appointments, reminders, anniversaries, birthdays, etc. But they're more decorative than useful, and I wouldn't rely on them in operation. Certainly, NEVER be annoyed that your mother isn't ready to go out even though you wrote *** Cardiology 11:00 am TUES!!!*** in block capitals on a post-it note.

I agree about moving on to more care for your LO. Having that direct supervision and direction is the only option.

In the beginning, I posted notes, reminders, schedules, etc. for my LO, but, they were worthless to her. She either didn't think to read them or she would read it and not be able to process what it said. When she was in regular AL, I wrote a sign in huge red letters that said PRESS BUTTON FOR HELP, but, she would just sit on the toilet and never press it for help. It never occurred to her. She could read it aloud, but, not follow the instructions. I have read of people with dementia who fall down and have an Emergency button within reach, but, never press it. There is some kind of disconnect that prevents the normal process from happening. My LO would stare at a tv, but, never think of turning it on. See a magazine, but, not think to pick it up. I don't know of any way to change that. I think that at a certain point the words have little meaning to them.

Expecting your mother to read notices or bulletins with advanced old age and dementia is unrealistic. In fact, having ANY expectations of her at this point is unrealistic. Understand that she is doing the best she can and leave it at that. A brain disease robs a person of all comprehension, all understanding............all EVERYTHING, until there is nothing left but a shell of who they once were. Very sad and frustrating for all involved. There is no way to 'work around it' either.........even if you reminded her 100x a day about something, she'd STILL forget, because her brain is no longer functioning.

Read up on dementia/Alzheimer's, the stages, and what to expect during each. You can find coping mechanisms and tips online at Alzheimers.org

Even if she did read it, assuming that she is able to, then understand when the post is about, how long do you think she would remember it. Does she know what day it is? My mom certainly didn't. There comes a point that even written instructions will not help. She needs someone to come and get her at the right time. Increased level of care.

I agree with Geaton777.  Dementia affects short term memory in ways that aren't easy to understand.  She likely looks at those notices, etc., may read them, then pretty much immediately goes right out of her thoughts because she has no retention skills now, or very little.  It's not unusual that she'd take notices, notes down, and put them away, lose, or toss.  This doesn't get better.

In assisted living, you can get help from workers; however, more often you either wind up doing things like laundry for them, or telling them to do whatever at that moment by phone or in person.  If you don't do it at the same time, as soon as you leave or hang up, she'll most likely forget.  They can't and don't function on their own as they once did, including schedules like laundry, eating, activities. 

Again, I agree with Geaton777, sad but true, but there's probably more falling through the cracks in her living, and she likely needs to be moved to the next level of care.

Cognitive decline is a strange thing. On a recent visit to my MIL in LTC (due to bad short-term memory problems) we realized she had forgotten how to write. We just wanted her to sign her own name in a card. She stared and stared with the pen in her hand. She never did sign. She can still read, but of course it doesn't get retained.

Other than alerting your mom's tenders on her AL floor of your discovery, she may need the next level up of attention from them (more money) or a move to Memory Care. I'm sure this is not what you want to hear. Maybe others on the forum have different suggestions, but if she's not "seeing" the notices and has short-term memory challenges, other problems may exist: my MIL was not remembering to eat. If asked, she'd tell you what she sincerely thought she ate, but hadn't. We had no choice but to transition her into a NH. You are far enough away that there are probably more things in her days that are falling through the cracks. I hope you get some helpful answers!